O Christmas Tree
by Ms.MaraJade
Summary: Christmas Eve on Arus brings with it ghosts, revelations, and a conclusion. A stand-alone that I consider the official wrap-up to "The Waltz Continues." Keith/Allura fans, please be patient and read to the end.


_Author's Notes_: I don't normally write holiday-themed pieces, but this one came together so nicely, I could not resist. For all the Keith and Allura fans, I beg you to read through and not hastily dismiss this story at first glance. I have decided to consider this my official wrap-up to "The Waltz Continues." I may never get around to concluding the story with the justice it deserves, but this one-shot is the perfect ending that I would have liked to have done for my variations on the Voltron characters.

_Disclaimer_: I make no money, and I only write about what I enjoy. I do claim a few of the characters as my own, as they were created by me and introduced in my previous Voltron stories.

_Summary_: Christmas Eve on Arus brings with it ghosts, revelations, and a conclusion. A stand-alone that I consider the official wrap-up to "The Waltz Continues." Keith/Allura fans, please be patient and read to the end.

O Christmas Tree

Darkness shrouded the corners of the room, the only light source seeming like nothing less than a beacon centered on the observation deck. Its warm glow of colors gave the windowed chamber a sparkle of rainbows and silver. The small lights protruded from thick, dark branches, and the silver ribbon that spiraled from the top downward twinkled from the glittery substance imbedded into the ribbon's fabric.

The reflection on the windows gave an odd glow to the thick trees in the distance. Even though it was dark over Arus' landscape, the forests that surrounded the Castle of Lions still held their discernable outline below the horizon of stars. It was not uncommon for some places on Earth to share Christmas time without the dead of winter, but for some reason it seemed out of place on Arus. For the fairy tale land that this planet often had the potential to portray, it sometimes rebelled against its own fantasy-like scenery. And, seeing a darkened but budding landscape somehow made Christmas seem out of place, despite the fact that the Earthen calendar showed the date as December 24.

Touching a hand against the mildly cool glass-like panel, he was aware of his reflection on the window, and let his eyes shift to the formal attire he wore. Tonight's ensemble wasn't as tight as the Arusian clothing that he and his teammates had been forced to wear during their first meeting with Prince Dirin so long ago, but the outfit still wasn't his usual style. However, even he had to admit that the gray suit nicely complemented the blue shirt he wore, and it seemed flattering on him. It wasn't quite academy formalwear nor was it a classic Earthen business suit, but it had its own flair with a long waistcoat and shin-high boots.

Pushing aside the vanity of admiring the clothing she had put together for him, he instead shifted his focus on the diffused radiance the tree reflected onto the window panel. His eyes caught a glint of movement as his attention landed on one of the silver and red glass ornaments in the center of the tree. The round ball was nestled within a group of branches, and if not for the lights of the tree giving it a sparkle, he might have not even noticed the ornament in the darkened room.

Continuing his gaze on the reflection of the ornament within the tree, his eyes caught how the shadow seemed to emerge from the branches themselves, and a silhouette developed as she moved towards him. Details slowly took form in the reflection of the glass, and as her face grew more distinct, he felt the warm tingles she could instill in him raising to the surface. This particular woman was one he had connected with under the most unlikely of circumstances, and the fact that she had stayed with him for these past few months seemed to defy everything he ever thought there was to know about women.

Her light brown hair brushed against the fabric of the small-capped shoulders on the formal gown as she walked, the strands falling behind her in simple waves. Her collarbone was exposed so that there was an unobstructed view of the tear-shaped pendant she wore on the silver chain. Her long skirt flowed like a turquoise ribbon around her waist, the loose fabric a metaphor for the way she handled herself around him. She had been a guarded and cautious woman due to a tragedy that had befallen her during a time in her life that should have been the peak of her happiness, and because of that time, he could not blame her for her caution. However, in the months that they had spent together, she grew more carefree and showed that she was as much as a force to be reckoned with as he was.

Bringing the mug to his lips, he realized that he was unintentionally hiding his smile at her presence, but as he breathed in the sweet and chocolatey aroma, he also realized that he still wanted that one moment of enjoying his childhood memory. Listening to her footsteps as she crossed the large room, he sipped at the warm liquid and he relieved the momentary surge of being a young boy again as he remembered the unique sweetness of his mother's hot chocolate. It was one of the greatest treats of his childhood, especially after a long day of building snow forts and playing a few rounds of ice hockey with his friends.

Her warm hands slipped in around his waist and she rested her chin on his shoulder. He could see in the reflection of the window that her eyes were closed gently as she took in the scent of his cologne mixed with the aroma of the hot chocolate.

"The party is downstairs, Lieutenant."

"We could make our own up here," Lance replied with that flirty tone in his voice that often worked on women in the past. However, on Katrine that tone was never predictable.

She kissed his cheek gently and released her hug from him as she stepped before him and took the mug from his hands. She took a quick sniff at the liquid inside it as though making sure it was not laced with one of Arus' finer spirits, and he imagined it was because she didn't want their conversation to end with him in a drunken blur, where he would not remember it the following morning. It was certainly not the actions he would have predicted she would take to his seducing tone, but that was what made her so unique to him. She was far from the one-night expectations that the other women he had shared company with wanted.

"It's safe, Doctor," he smiled. "It's called a hot chocolate. Kids on my planet drink them to warm up during the winter season. Give it a try. I promise you won't get drunk."

Katrine lifted the mug to her lips and took in the sweet flavor, her eyes still staring at Lance as though awaiting one of his many pranks. When there was no snide comment nor had he done something to make them both laugh, she took in another sip before handing the mug back to him. The sweet flavor was not entirely unlike some of the desserts they had on Fedmar, but on her world _Stalka_ – the Fedmar equivalent to Earthen chocolate – was never liquefied into a drink. _Stalka_ was a dessert eaten as thin wafers cut off a larger block.

"And? Does my doctor deem this safe for my health?" he asked, the humor reflected in his words.

Katrine ignored his rhetorical question and instead she slipped her arms around him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for wanting to teach Ella about the Earthen Christmas tradition of your Santa Claus. I think tonight was the fastest she had ever gone to bed without an argument."

"Remind me about the Easter Bunny when my calendar reaches the month of March," he replied, as he touched his lips to the top of her head.

"Just how many gift-givers are there in your culture?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lance laughed and took another drink of the hot chocolate, disappointed that it had cooled down, and he swallowed the last of it quickly before it got any colder. He set the mug upon on the small table near the window where they were standing and let his arms encircle her.

The evening had been quite fulfilling with a holiday party in which many of the Arusian citizens and their children had been invited. Halfway through the evening, many of the guests left so that they could put their tired children to sleep, but the party was still continuing. With the departure of most of the children, the celebration had become more of an adult fare, with slow music playing and the finer spirits of the castle's wine cellars being distributed.

Both he and Katrine had taken a brief reprieve from the party so that they could put Ella to bed a short while ago. Katrine had returned to the party, unaware that he did not immediately follow with her. Instead of returning to the ballroom, Lance had sidetracked himself to the observation deck with a hot chocolate in hand that he made after a short stop to the recreation room kitchenette. He had wondered how long it would take Katrine to track him down, and he was not surprised that she had found him within fifteen minutes.

Still, Lance needed his Christmas Eve ritual in order to cope with his loss. During his childhood when Jenny was still healthy, the two of them would sit in the living room on Christmas Eve sipping their mother's homemade hot chocolate and snacking on their father's salted popcorn. The house lights were always turned off for the evening, and they all just enjoyed the quiet beauty of the lighted tree and their time together as a family. It was a custom they had done for years until Jenny started to get sick. Then, Christmas had become an empty and desolate holiday. With the family spending so much time at the hospital, they didn't even have time to decorate for a couple years, and the holiday eventually turned into something Lance dreaded as Jenny grew closer to her end. It wasn't until he was at the academy that his hatred of the holiday subsided.

He had set off the wrong prank at the wrong time, and the wrong administrator found out about it right before the holiday break. The board of directors apparently didn't like the idea of flares going off to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" inside the showers of the officer's quarters. While the overseer of the facility, Admiral Burke, sought a more lenient punishment, the Galactic Academy's board of directors opted instead to deny Lance his holiday leave and have him spend his days on-campus handling whatever menial tasks the administrators deemed appropriate.

On Christmas Eve, he was leaving one of the barracks buildings after spending the day cleaning bed sheets and refitting the beds with them when Admiral Burke crossed paths with him, asking him to spare a minute to talk. Burke handed Lance a disposable cup that he assumed was full of coffee to warm him on his long walk back to his dormitory building. However, to his surprise, it contained the sweetest hot chocolate he had ever tasted. Burke caught Lance's surprise and told him that he knows a hard-knock kid when he sees one and that even a bad kid needs a treat once in a while. Plus, Burke also told him that hot chocolate does more to warm someone's spirits than a cup of coffee. And, it was at that moment when Lance realized they were standing in front of the campus Christmas tree on a night when it was dark elsewhere, except for that tree and the occasional safety light along the paths to the buildings.

Burke then explained that he worked a deal so Lance could spend Christmas Day with him and his family instead of being punished to a lonely existence. Burke explained that he did not feel Lance was a criminal despite his shady past, and that he didn't want anyone to have to spend Christmas alone, especially a kid who lost so much and was sent to the academy as retribution for his crimes. Lance had graciously thanked Burke for the offer and tried to decline, loosely explaining that he had not celebrated the holiday for years. However, Burke was insistent and told him to just think about it overnight and that he would stop by again in the morning for his final answer. Then, Burke left Lance to stand outside on that frigid Christmas Eve night in front of a lit Christmas tree holding a hot chocolate that brought with it a flood of memories.

Having no idea how long he stood there – alone – Lance was only aware of the tears freezing on his cheeks when the Christmas tree had grown blurry in his vision. It was in that moment that Lance had finally felt at peace with Christmas for the first time in years. He had stayed outside in the cold, sipping at his hot chocolate and staring at the blur of lights, finally allowing himself to hear Jenny's laughter in his memories once again.

"Does your ghost haunt you tonight?" Katrine softly asked.

Coming from anyone else, Lance would have found the question completely absurd, but from Katrine, the context was entirely different. She had the ability for knowing when he was lost in Jenny's memories, just as he did when her memories wandered to her deceased husband.

"Not haunt," he said, turning from the window to look at the softly lit tree. "She's reminding me that I need to give Ella the time I couldn't have with her, and I need to spoil Ella without you being able to stop me…" his voice trailed with a smile, as his fingers brushed against the smooth fabric of her gown's waist, and he leaned towards her.

Katrine closed the gap before he could, and they both melted into the moment, enjoying this quiet time. For Lance this was the first Christmas in years that he was not alone. Even though his past was littered with one-night stands on Christmas Eve, he was technically alone for every one of them. This year, though, was different. He had been with Katrine for months, and for what he hoped would be the long-term. With Katrine's daughter, Lance saw how Ella's childhood innocence brought back the magic of the holiday that every poem, story, and song portrayed. This Christmas even outshined his transformation at the academy, and all he wanted was to spend the rest of the night with Katrine.

Gently releasing Katrine's lips from his, Lance leaned his forehead onto hers and cupped her face in his hands. His voice was quiet and soft, as though he was trying not to ruin the moment. "Let's just stay here where it's peaceful, where it's just you and me and…just us."

"Lance!" barked a voice that was certainly not Katrine's. "Explain your absence."

Lance sighed and shook his head, aware of how Katrine's eyes reflected his own disappointment. He turned and watched as Keith, in his full Arusian dress uniform, stepped into the room. The black jacket with red accents made him appear almost like a humanized version of his Black Lion. His long, dark hair bounced around his shoulders as he moved, seeming to seethe with the frustration that was embedded on his commander's face.

"Come on, Keith," Lance argued. "We made our appearance…"

"Foregoing the party you helped organize is not an option," Keith insisted as his long, black coat fluttered behind him in his quick movements. "Besides, I have important things to discuss with you."

At that, Lance stiffed under Katrine's arms, to which she loosened him from her grasp to give him room before his commanding officer.

"We have things to discuss with you that we decided needed privacy," came Allura's voice as she followed behind Keith a few steps as though trying to catch up but doing so cautiously. She moved with the grace of a princess despite how she had resigned her title a number of months ago. With Corran now the Premier of Arus, Allura was free to pilot her Blue Lion and spend her free time as she wished with her husband, Keith.

While Allura continued to move closer to them, the skirt on her lavender gown brushed against the floor, the material seeming to sway in time to her steps. The off-shoulder bodice of the dress draped loosely over her and shimmered under the embroidered designs. The long sleeves fell into small ribbons that streamed from her wrists and flowed as though she were under water.

As Allura caught up to Keith, she stood by his side, taking his hand into her own as his arm wrapped around her.

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "For one night, is it really necessary to..."

"Yes it is," Keith insisted. Then, he broke into a huge grin, his eyes sparkling despite the dim room. "You better damn well listen to me if you want the job of being a godfather."

Lance suddenly looked up, unable to hide the dumbfounded expression on his face. "What? No…wait. What?"

"I'm just starting into my fourth month," Allura whispered. "We've kept it hidden for as long as we could, but my wardrobe just isn't fitting properly anymore."

Then, Lance looked down and noticed that the gown Allura was wearing showed the barest outline of a rounder stomach. Between the loose material and the embroidery, the dress had been designed to hide her pregnancy.

Katrine took Lance's hand into hers and smiled as she looked at Lance. "I'm sorry I could not tell you sooner. Allura had come to me a few weeks ago asking questions about when I was pregnant with Ella. We had a nice, long chat about things you probably don't want to know anyway."

Running his hand through his hair again, Lance took a moment to compose his surprise. Then, he let loose one of his famous mischievous grins. "Well, it's about time. You know Ella's been needing a playmate for a while."

At that, Allura giggled softly. She stepped forward and leaned up, giving Lance a kiss on his cheek. "Hunk and Pidge will have protector roles, sharing responsibilities with you. Our baby will have quite the extended family, and now we need to tell them as well. We decided to hold the formal announcement until after your Christmas celebrations have passed, but we wanted to give you a most unusual present tonight, Lance."

"Next week is Arus' spring festival, and we decided that it was the most appropriate time to formally announce this," Keith explained further.

Lance didn't mean to take on a serious tone, but he could already feel the responsibilities of a godfather seeping into his words. "What about the Drule? Zarkon and Lotor may have been heavily defeated, but we can't be certain they will stay that way forever."

"We have to live, Lance," Allura simply stated. "We've spent years fighting and avoiding death, but not truly enjoying life."

With those words, Allura and Keith gave hugs to Lance and Katrine before departing the observation deck. Lance stood for a long moment, staring at nothing but seeing everything. He saw the Christmas tree in all its colorful glory and the blur of ornaments and decorations that covered it. He saw Keith and Allura changed and yet the very same people as he had always known them. He saw the Voltron Force changing, as Allura needed time away from piloting. He saw the future and the past, and everything in-between. And, when the realization of it all finally settled down around him, he blinked in silence, his eyes focusing on Katrine.

"I can't be a pilot forever," he said quietly. "Not if I want to give you everything you deserve."

"Lance, I'm not asking…"

"I know," he said, taking her hands in his, aware of the how the lights on the tree twinkled in her eyes. "Arus still needs defenders and pilots, and it'll be too dangerous for Allura while she's pregnant. Keith will be distracted with concern for her, especially as she gets closer to delivering. We're going to need to recruit new pilots and we're going to need someone to keep them trained."

Moving his hands to her face, Lance smiled. "I promise you that I will not propose until I can take on a trainer position. When I'm truly ready to hang up my helmet and when Red finds a suitable personality to take on in my absence, only then I will ask you. I promised you that you would not lose another husband to the skies, and I meant that."

Katrine leaned upwards and took Lance in a kiss, and they had decided that they would rather spend the rest of the evening together in a darkened room lit up merely by the lights of an Earthen Christmas tree than return to the party in the ballroom. They truly did not have enough time alone, and tonight it was all they both wanted for Christmas.


End file.
